August 19, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Massive Water Main Break Disrupts Service to Half of Waco, Texas
A massive break in a 48-inch water main has left Waco, Texas scrambling to save its water supply. Officials are asking residents to stop watering lawns and stop washing cars in order to save precious water. The massive pipe is critical to providing water service to half of the city’s residents.
Headlines
Work will be completed soon on a $6.5 million sewer project in Noblesville, Indiana. Prior to this project, the existing sewer was a combined sanitary and storm sewer that was constructed of brick over 100 years ago. Over the past year, crews installed large-diameter storm sewers and backup sewers.
A large water main break in Center Point, Alabama this morning damaged a busy road, and caused other property damage. Water also was spraying into the air, and damaged the road and blew out a window in a car.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Montana, though the entire project is years away from completion, the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Regional Water System’s first customers can drink the water pouring out of their faucets. Once a treatment plant is built at Lake Elwell and a waterline is installed, the project will deliver clean water to a territory the size of Delaware. Last summer, $20 million in federal stimulus money more than doubled the funding the project has received since it was authorized in 2002.
The drafting of an application seeking federal stimulus funds for Strasburg, Virginia’s planned $25 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant has come to a standstill as an environmental review document has become outdated during the process.
Sewer Rate News
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bradenton, Florida
Jackson, Mississippi
The blog is taking its summer vacation. We’ll return with all new material on Monday, August 30.
August 17, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Small North Carolina Town to Receive $3.3M for New Sewer System
In North Carolina, the Currituck County Board of Commissioners has approved plans to build a new public sewer system in the small communinity of Moyock after three years of debate and negotiation. The new $3.3 million plant would treat 100,000 gallons per day but could be expanded to 600,000 gallons per day.
Headlines
A water line break drowned a Tulsa, Oklahoma neighborhood in acres of water on Monday afternoon. The water flooded the street, dozens of yards, and swamped several homes. As the water receded, it left a gaping hole and a buckled road in its muddy wake.
Logan, Utah Mayor Randy Watts said the state Department of Environmental Quality has given the city seven years to cut by half the amount of phosphorous its sewage lagoons, located on the west side of town, discharge to Cutler Reservoir.
A $5.2 million upgrade to the village of Winneconne, Wisconsin’s wastewater treatment plant has started and is expected to take 18 months to complete. The project includes work to upgrade and increase the facility’s ability for wastewater treatment that should be good for at least 25 years.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded more than $1.46 million in grants for engineering studies to 50 public water supply systems throughout the state. These awards, which are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will fund engineering reports and facility plans that will include data collection, analysis and water system planning.
Sewer Rate News
East Moline, Illinois
Galesburg, Illinois
M0yock, North Carolina
Northport, Alabama
August 16, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Michigan Beach Pollution May Be Coming from Milwaukee’s Sewer System
Michigan officials are warning residents that syringes and other household trash washing onto beaches could be coming from sewer dumps from the flooding in Milwaukee three weeks ago. More than 2 billion gallons of untreated sewage and storm water poured from Milwaukee-area sewers into waterways after torrential rain storms on July 22.
Headlines
In Oregon, the Lebanon City Council has approved issuing up to $6.5 million in Wastewater Revenue Bonds to finance a new wastewater treatment plant and to refinance an existing bond at a lower interest rate. The current treatment plant was constructed in the early 1970s and although it meets the city’s current needs, it is close to capacity and the community is growing.
Crews from Mobile (Ala.) Area Water & Sewer System have repaired a break in a 10-inch water main that caused water pressure and outage problems in west Mobile on Sunday. A lightning strike is thought to be the cause of a split in the line that was estimated to be between 6-and-10 feet long.
Stimulus Spotlight
In an effort to improve the Boonville, Missouri’s public water system, an engineer will examine its infrastructure and identify potential projects. The city received a $45,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as part of federal stimulus funding to hire the engineer.
In California, a $3.2 million pipeline was constructed by the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District with the help of a $600,000 federal stimulus grant. And upon its recent completion, it became the first recycled water project completed with stimulus funds in Southern California.
Sewer Rate News
Jamestown, California
Marco Island, Florida
McCook, Nebraska
Tybee Island, Georgia
August 6, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Sewage Spills Into Whitewater River in Richmond, Indiana
Heavy rains in Richmond, Indiana have led to sewage spills along Whitewater River, contaminating the water. The spill occurred because the rainwater and sewage system became overloaded. Officials have warned residents to avoid contact with the water for 72 hours.
Headlines
80,000 gallons of sewage spills in Blaine, Minnesota. Officials say the old The chlorination system was malfunctioning at the local sewage plant and caused the wastewater to leak.
Residents in Baltimore, Maryland are concerned that sewage leaks are killing local fish at Deep Creek Lake. Approximately 1,000 dead fish have been found floating on the lake and residents are blaming recent wastewater spills.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the residents of Crawford, Nebraska are receiving $4 million dollars in stimulus grants to get a new wastewater treatment plant.
The town of Palisade, Colorado is receiving a total of $7.8 million dollars to build a new sewer plant. The funds are being provided in a $4 million dollar low interest loan and a $3.8 million dollar grant, both provided by the stimulus package.
Sewer Rate News
Toro, California
Northport, Alabama
Northridgeville, Ohio
St. Louis, Missouri
August 5, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Heavy Rains in Omaha, Nebraska Cause Sewage Spills
After heavy rains hit Omaha, Nebraska, sewage poured into homes across the city. This has been a recurring problem in the city. Officials claim that the cost of making the sewer lines good enough to stop these spills is an estimated $1.6 billion dollars.
Headlines
A broken sewer line in Baltimore, Maryland has caused 10,000 gallons of sewage to pour into nearby Herring Run Stream, which is a tributary to many Baltimore rivers. Officials have warned all residents to avoid contact with any streams or rivers in the area until further notice.
A malfunction in Thompsons Station, Tennessee is causing sewage leaks in the town. The spill is estimated at 800 gallons minute and has yet to be repaired.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Glenburnie, Maryland will be getting a new stormwater and sewage system, as well as some road repairs. The $24 million dollar project is being funded by low interest stimulus loans.
Sewer Rate News
Sacramento, California
Sandusky, Ohio
Talladega, Alabama
Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Orroville, California
July 13, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Sewer Pipe Leak Leads to Effluent Discharge into Sonoma Creek
A leaking sewage pipe is dumping untreated effluent into the Sonoma Creek in Sonoma, California. The leak may have been active for 12 hours before it was discovered; if so, the leak was dumping unimpeded at a rate of more than 100 gallons of sewage per minute into the creek.
Headlines
Officials in Nortonville, Kentucky are trying to figure out how to pay back a nearly three million dollar loan. In 2005, the city built a waste water plant using a loan from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority. That loan was supposed to be paid back within one year of the plant’s completion, but still $2.8 million is owed.
The second leaking water pipe in a week has been discovered in Rockville, Maryland. It was reported in yesterday’s update that a water main was leaking, but it has finally burst. The 24 inch main is the second to break in a week and will extend the duration of water restrictions for Rockville residents.
A power outage in Shreveport, Louisiana over the weekend led to a hydraulic surge in the sewer line causing serious problems. Sewage is leaking into Lake Champion at a rate of 2,000 gallons a minute. The leak has been going since early Monday morning.
Stimulus Spotlight
A Groundbreaking was held for the Scott County Otter House Water Project in Hiltons, Virginia. The Tri-Cities area was awarded $2.25 million by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to entirely cover the cost of the project.
Sewer Rate News
Anderson, Indiana
Aurora, Oregon
Belmont, California
Birmingham, Alabama
July 9, 2010
Friday’s Water News: 700,000 Gallons of Sewage Floods Armarillo, Texas
After heavy rains hit Armarillo, Texas, the wastewater system was overwhelmed. This led to 700,000 gallons of raw sewage to spill out in several locations across town. Local residents and businesses are both dealing with wastewater overflows in their own homes, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is looking into health and safety concerns regarding the spill.
Headlines
The aging sewage treatment plant in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania is on it’s last legs according to officials. The plant is over thirty years old, and will not last much longer. It is now having trouble cleaning wastewater thoroughly, causing health problems. However, the Saltsburg City Council is having trouble coming up with the money to fix it, as it would cost $1.6 million to refurbish the plant and a whopping $2.7 million to replace it.
Residents of Monterey, California will not be able to swim at the local Monterey Municipal Beach due to a 70,000 gallon sewage spill into the nearby stormwater system. The system drains directly into the beach. Citizens will not be allowed to swim in the water until it can be tested for contamination by officials.
Sewage spills out of a manhole in Chico City, California. The leak is believed to have been caused by a system blockage. Some of the sewage spilled directly into the stormwater system, but not enough to cause contamination, according to officials.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Plattsmouth, Nebraska is getting a new sewage system. The stimulus package will provide a $1.2 million grant to help fund the $4 million dollar project.
Sewer Rate News
Terre Haute, Indiana
Campbell County, Virginia
New Albany, Indiana
Northport, Alabama
June 16, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Chronic Sewage Overflows in Dogtown (Mo.)
Wastewater flooded basements in Dogtown, Missouri for the fourth time in two months and the affected residents are fed up. Every time a storm occurs, they complain, the sewage system can’t handle the additional wastewater. City officials are working on the issue, but have limited resources at hand to deal with the problem.
Headlines
Street flooding was unavoidable and pumping sewage into creeks and rivers was needed when heavy rains hit Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Tuesday afternoon. Officials states that any sewage in the water was diluted.
Residents are furious in Bucyrus, Ohio over chronic sewage overflows in their town. Recent rains led to almost four feet of wastewater pouring into residents’ basements. One resident is so angry he is filing a claim to the EPA for assistance with the damages to his home.
In Atlanta, raw sewage has spilled into Rock Creek and some residents have even had it spill into their backyards. Because the sewer line borders the city of Atlanta and Dekalb County, there is a dispute over which government entity is responsible for fixing the problem.
Stimulus Spotlight
A city school in Hobson City, Alabama will receive $42,000 in economic stimulus money to update its aging water infrastructure as part of a project to establish a Head Start program in the small community.
Ivins , Utah will receive a $5 million low-interest loan funded via the economic stimulus to improve its stormwater system.
Sewer Rate News
Bossier City, Louisiana
Orangetown, Virginia
Richmond, California
Wichita, Kansas
June 3, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Federal Officials Want Chicago River Cleaned Up
In Chicago, Illinois, the problem with sewage has gotten bad enough that the Obama administration has asked the Illinois legislature to clean up the river. The administration demands that the water be “safe enough for swimming”. The effort is expected to cost an estimated 242 million dollars according to the EPA, but The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago estimates costs much higher, at 623 million dollars.
Headlines
City officials in Mobile, Alabama reported overflows in sewage from storms that led to 7,200 gallons to overrun the town and cause the Mobile County Health Department to advise citizens to avoid contact with the sewage.
Sarasota, Florida city officials reported that an estimated 220,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a utility line break, causing 10 to 20 thousands gallons to pour into the Sarasota Bay.
Stimulus Spotlight
Federal funds will target sewage contamination of Esopus Creek in The Village of Saugerties, NY. The total cost is at about 1.4 million dollars to fix the sewage system, of which the stimulus will pay 800,000.
Sewer Rate News
Benson, North Carolina
Ionia, Michigan
China Grove, North Carolina
Madill, Oklahoma
April 27, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Topeka Water Main Break Causes Headaches for Motorists
A major water main break over the weekend in Topeka, Kansas has narrowed a portion of a street to two lanes of traffic, and city officials say it may take at least two weeks before the roadway is back to normal. Though the 12-inch water main has been repaired, it will take about two weeks before pavement can be placed over it.
Headlines
A grant and loan from the USDA will allow Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, Connecticut to connect to the town’s sewer line. The school is currently using a septic system.
A follow-up to a story from yesterday, the Jefferson County Commission has agreed to file a lawsuit against an engineering firm over its design of a 60 million gallon wastewater treatment plant which can only treat about half of that amount.
Residents in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania may be stuck paying $16 million to separate its stormwater and sanitary sewers after failing to secure of federal grant to help fund the project.
Stimulus Spotlight
Plymouth, California has received a $2.8 million grant from the economic stimulus for a series of wastewater infrastructure projects. The projects include sewer main replacement, lining and repairs to the existing sewer system and storm drainage improvements.
In South Dakota, two Brookings-area communities will be included for water-project funding under the economic stimulus program. Kingbrook Rural Water System will receive a total of $7.89 million and the City of Estelline will receive a $1.9 million.
Sewer Rate News
Fairfax County, Virginia
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Marion, Ohio
New Albany, Indiana
